Can Reduced Brain Activity Boost Longevity? By Christine Ruggeri, CHHC courtesy of www.draxe.com
A new study led by scientists Joseph Zullo and Derek Drake from Harvard Medical School indicates that the nervous system may play an unexpected role in aging. While it seems counterintuitive, the study suggests that limiting brain activity may actually promote a longer life span and work as a natural life extender. Although this is a preliminary study that requires further research, it shines light on the importance of using behavioral interventions to slow down brain activity and possibly boost longevity.
Study Results Scientists behind the new study published in the journal Nature found that neuronal excitement is actually higher in short-lived individuals compared to long-lived individuals. Zullo and his colleagues first studied brain tissue from hundreds of aged humans that had not shown any cognitive deficits before death. They found that genes involved in neural excitation, or increased brain activity, were downregulated in the individuals who lived longest. This may be linked to a protein called REST (RE1-Silencing Transcription factor), according to the researchers. Here’s what you need to know about REST: • REST is a transcriptional repressor, which means that it blocks the expression of neural genes.
Conscious Life Magazine
